It was not clear where or when the van was stopped. Some Thai Facebook users commenting on the video said the men appeared to be migrant workers.
Despite the crush, the travellers did not break any records. Last year, the same number of people squeezed into a five-seater Toyota Rav4 in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, earning them entry into the Guinness World Records for the most people crammed in a large car.
A World Health Organisation study last year revealed that Thailand has the second-highest road fatality rate after Libya.
A study in 2014 by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute found there were 44 road deaths per 100,000 people, making up 5.1% of Thailand’s overall deaths.
Reports of mass casualties from overcrowded buses and other vehicles are common. On Sunday, 13 people died when an overpacked boat carrying Muslim pilgrims sank on Chao Phraya river after hitting a bridge.
The military junta, which seized power in 2013, has promised to reduce road deaths. However, it has had limited success, with drunk and careless driving being commonplace.
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